“…we have dealt with issues of theft, sexual exploitation and gender-based violence in the community. Now such cases have drastically reduced, thanks to SFCG and CCDRN”
community members keenly paying attention during a dialogue meeting. Picture: CCDRN
April 2018 – The insurgency by Boko Haram in north-east Nigeria and the Government’s offensive targeted at the insurgents have killed thousands of civilians and led to the internal displacement of over 2 million people, with Borno State on the highest casualty scale. As territories formerly controlled by the insurgents have been recovered following assaults by Nigerian security forces, the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis has been laid bare, with severe levels of human rights abuses.
Corroboration of widespread human rights violations in the north-east by non-State armed groups, individuals and State actors as highlighted by international watchdog agencies such as amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, also points to human rights crisis. Camps for internally displaced persons have been targeted by Boko Haram, and many such persons have been killed as a result of military operations. Internally displaced persons are highly vulnerable and a high percentage of them are women and children. Sexual exploitation and sexual violence, including demands for transactional sex to access food and non-food items in IDP camps are every day routine. The risks of human rights violations have been worsened by inadequate capacity by communities to protect vulnerable populations, particularly displaced persons living in host communities and returnees who earlier fled the ravaging conflict.
Nevertheless, Search For Common Ground’s Strengthening Early Warning and Early Response Mechanisms in the northeast has given a big break to 18 Borno communities in four targeted LGAs of Mafa, Jere, Maiduguri Metroplitan Council as part of the urgent action needed to address widespread problem of exploitation and human rights abuse
The advent of the Early Warning and Early Response project implement by Centre for community Development and Research Network, with sponsorship from Search For Common Ground has contributed largely to the protection of vulnerable persons against diverse forms of abuse at the individual, family, group/association and community level. The Community Security Architecture Dialogue (CSAD) a vital component of the project instituted at the LGA level and committed to protecting the rights of its citizens, has been addressing issues of forced marriage, sexual exploitation, and intimidation of community members by security agents who are linked with drug barons or other bad groups.
Nigerian troops have been repeatedly accused of abuses against Boko Haram suspects and civilian, including arbitrary arrest, intimidation, torture, and extra-judicial killings. The Strengthening Early Warning Mechanism project has created an avenue for communities to check and promptly respond to human rights abuses and intimidation by security agents and other local actors. CCDRN’s November 2017 Early Warning progress report shows how communities are collaborating security agents to address human rights issues. According to the report, on the 9th day of November, 2017 two soldiers entered a house at the Federal Low-cost in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council, claiming that one of their men gave his bag to a boy who lives in the area and the boy denied it saying he did not know the soldiers. One of the soldiers who was allegedly drunk shot his gun sporadically in the air to threaten the public. People in a neighboring house reported the case to the Civilian Join Task Force (CJTF) who hastily went to the military and reported, they eventually, came and arrested their men. When they got to the barracks, and started interrogating the soldiers, one among them confessed that they were given wrong address. The soldiers later had to apologize to the entire community and the erring officers placed in the custody of the military police investigating the case.
At the community level, Community Response Network members have addressed several marital conflicts dealing with abuse and gender based violence. With the escalation of conflict driven by Boko Haram, the prevalence of gender based violence escalated dramatically in northeast Nigeria. Vulnerable women and children in IDP camps and host communities are often raped, forced into marriage, abused and exposed to unwanted pregnancy due to the loss of traditional protective social infrastructure. SFCG early warning intervention is now helping communities to check and address these identified problems via the Community Response Network, another vital component of the Early Warning project implemented by CCDRN.
“Through the Community Response Network, we have dealt with issues of theft, sexual exploitation and gender-based violence in the community. Now such cases have drastically reduced in our community thanks to SFCG and CCDRN” says Goni Baba Dikwa, vice chairman Bolori 2 Development Association, who is also a member of the Community Response Network
The Community Response Network meetings are the major platform for addressing sundry Early Warning issues including human rights abuses. In February of 2018, a woman identified as Yagana from Shehuri North MMC narrated told her story during Community Response Network meeting about her husband, whom she claimed, abused her both physically and emotionally
“Good day, my name is Yagana Kolo from Shehuri North MMC. I need help before my problem takes my life, because, that seems to be the only option now. I got married in court at the age of 17 because I was pregnant and because I don’t want to bring shame to my parents. I got married and it has been the worst decision I ever made in my life. I have never had peace in my marriage. I have been abused emotionally, physically and psychologically” she said, adding that, “I have never said that I want to visit my parents, even when I was pregnant. Now I have two (2) kids, but he treated me like I am nothing. He had once threatened me when I was on admission to tell doctor to discharge me because he didn’t want to waste money, I ended up having an infection on my incision area (a flesh-eating disease) it nearly killed me. He refused to neither put me in school as promised nor pay for me to learn a hand skill”.
In resolving and addressing the issues presented before them, the Community Response Network resorted to meeting with the said husband alongside elders in the family to have a dialogue so as to find a lasting solution to the problem. On that note, CRN members advised and warned the man not to indulge in such acts again, else the case will be taken to CJTF or Police Station. He was also instructed to take care of his wife.
This and many other human rights related issues have been handled by community members as a result of the SFCG Early Warning intervention. Sexual abuse and domestic violence which are major issue in Borno communities and most parts of the Northeast are been addressed due to this initiative.
“We learn to address issues with utmost good faith in our community. Like issues of marriage, debt, all these issues are now addressed by CRN meetings” Hannatu Abudalahi from Old Maiduguri community, adding that “In the past, women use to report husbands the Police of Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) and in response the police or CJTF will arrest the husband, beat and punishment punish them. But now these issues are addressed amicably at CRN meetings”
In consonance with SFCG Project on Northern Nigeria Early Warning/Early Response Mechanism, CCDRN has provided Step-Down Training was organized for Community Response Network (CRN) Members from several communities each of Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC), Mongonu, Jere and Mafa LGA respectively to build their capacity on the roles and responsibilities of various community stakeholders in responding to Early Warning. This has been very instrumental to the success of the project.
“We are very grateful for this project; the high rate of rape we used to witness in our community has been minimized. Through the project, our CRN members here in Monguno have addressed the issue of harassment of young girls by security personnel. Cases of intimidation by some security men have also reduced because we are always alert and our community stakeholder work with authorities to address any of such cases” says Alhaji Goni Tijjani, community Response Network Member from old Maiduguri
Gradually, the SFCG intervention is reinstalling long lost traditional protective infrastructure. Community stakeholders are more reawakened to their roles and responsibilities in handling threats to human rights. A good example of this is inherent in the experience shared by Ali Sani from Maisandari community in MMC
“We have achieved a lot through this project. We had series of community mobilization and sensitization in our community as a result of this project. There was a lady which was accused of been a witch in our community, and the case was reported to a police station, but solution could not be found until when the Community Response Network took over the matter”. He said.
Cases like this abounds in the Northeast and they end up been mishandled with the victims right been violated. The Search project has empowered communities with skills on how to manage and resolve conflicts.
“Before the coming of SFCG with their project, we use to organize meetings on our own to tackle problems that bedevil our community. But with the coming of SFCG, we became more strengthen and we doubled our effort towards reducing crimes like drug abuse and rape” says Alhaji Goni Tijjani, from Old Maiduguri community.
The Strengthening Early Warning and Early Response Mechanism initiative of SFCG has helped communities to check and address human rights violations. It has reinforced engagement between state and local actors to secure communities. Issues around violence and threats to human rights are been given the needed attention as communities become more involved.
